Southern Montana could soon be part of a 50-hour, 44-stop rail line between Seattle and Chicago, federal officials said Friday, but more money is needed to finalize a service plan and get the project approved by Congress .
The North Coast Hiawatha Line is the only long-distance rail line in the country to receive federal approval to study the feasibility of the project last year. On Thursday, the northwest regional authority met privately in Missoula to discuss next steps.
The buzz around the new route brought several top railroad officials to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) for its annual conference in Missoula, including Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
“I am encouraged to know that we are truly on the cutting edge when it comes to project development,” said Dave Strohmaier, BSPRA President and Missoula County Commissioner. “Projects have been prioritized for 15 (new) preferred routes, and we have been excluded from the prioritization because we are already in the project development pipeline.”
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The BSPRA obtained $500,000 in 2023 to study the feasibility of a new line, which would pass through cities such as Missoula, Bozeman, Helena and Billings.
So far, the process has been “non-competitive,” meaning the federal government will continue to help move the project forward to consideration by Congress.
But the main obstacle to the project is money, as more research is needed to fund specific capital improvements for the rail line, such as shoring up old bridges and expanding track capacity.
While the freight line through Missoula still operates daily, more tracks may be needed to support passenger trains. Other problems come from aging bridges along the route. In 2023, a bridge along the freight line collapsed near Reed Point, Montana.
Katie List, FRA community planner, said the cost of the entire project still needs to be determined.
“Based on the scope and scale of this effort and after feedback from stakeholders, we can identify the subset of capital project types, but not the full range of capital projects that may be necessary for these pathways” List said.
The multi-step planning and approval process will eventually result in a service development plan – the master planning document the federal government needs for congressional approval.
Strohmaier said BSPRA plans to hire a team of consultants for its feasibility plan and eventually move to the next step of a service development plan by the end of 2024.
Lyle Leitelt, FRA’s chief project planner, said finalizing a service development agreement will require some local matching funds.
The final draft of the project will be posted on the FRA website in the next two weeks, List said.
Griffen Smith is the Missoulian’s local government reporter.
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